SOCHI, Russia — And just like that, it ended. T.J. Oshie’s sixth shot — his fourth make of a thrilling shootout — went through the legs of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, into the back of the net and straight through the heart of a sold-out, mostly-pro-Russia crowd.

The once deafening chants and cheers silenced, the collective hope of a nation dashed.

Since joining the Post’s staff in December 2010, I’ve witnessed a few great moments in sports — Peyton Manning and the Broncos winning the AFC title, Todd Helton homering in his final game at Coors Field, and who could forget the most improbable passing touchdown in NFL history, Tim Tebow to Demaryius Thomas in overtime to lead the Broncos to a playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Each event was insane in its own right, but none compared to the atmosphere at the Bolshoy Ice Dome for U.S.A. and Russia Olympic hockey.

Was it the most important game ever played? No. Was it the best game ever played? No. Will it forever be remembered in sports lore? In some circles, maybe, but in the age of immediacy, it will likely be forgotten by lunch.

All that said, this game really meant something.

It meant something to the host country — a country that prided itself on presenting these games in grand fashion, a country poised to shed the image of a downtrodden people, beaten and defeated, living their days in gray; a country whose hopes of grandeur rested largely on one team, in one arena, in one game against the one team they did not want to lose to, could not lose to.
But they did.

The energy and passion and pride the Russian fans have for their team far outweighs anything an American fan can possibly have for any of their squads. As one fellow American photographer — a frequent visitor to Russia — said to me just before the shootout, “(Hockey) is all they f—— have.”

That might be a stretch — they do, after all, have Tetris.

But the reality is, America has a lot, win or lose. We keep living and loving life, cheering for our many teams, watching our many movies, eating and drinking at our many restaurants and Starbucks; the Russians have muted hope.

I haven’t spoken to every Russian — how could I? — but from what I gather, this is a place where hope has stalled.

Does that mean every single Russian is living in misery? Probably not. A lot of people seem genuinely content and successful, but there is a notable difference between that contentment and the contentment I see at home.

I am by no means an expert on global affairs. Like many, I knew Russia existed, but first heard of Sochi when it was named the site of these Olympic games. These are simply my observations having seen fist-hand a few sporting events, cities, people and cultures.

It does not, however, take a geopolitical expert to recognize that T.J. Oshie’s shot not only won the game, but wholly deflated everyone draped in the other red, white and blue when all that mattered was winning.

In losing, stalled was the hope and the chance to prove to the world that yes, Russia will succeed — in these games and in this life.

Don’t, however, expect it to end just like that — there is still a lot of hockey and life ahead.

SOCHI, RUSSIA – FEBRUARY 15: Fans cheer on Pavel Datsyuk (13) of the Russia after his 1-0 goal against the U.S.A. during the second period of men’s hockey action at Bolshoy arena. Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics on Saturday, February 15, 2014. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)